Sage of Humanity

The sect master was unaware of his situation, but Lu Ye knew his own affairs.

Not to mention that in the previous year he had continuously exchanged thirty blood Qi pill dregs from Manager Yang for consumption, even in that cave, over the span of more than ten days, he had consumed two to three hundred pills.

Normally, consuming so many dregs would definitely pose a great hidden danger to oneself.

Yet the sect master actually said his spirit force was fairly pure?

The sect master should not make a mistake about such a matter, Lu Ye was unclear about how high his cultivation was, but being the master of a 9th-grade sect, he must at least be in the Cloud River Realm.

In other words, there probably really was no problem with his spirit force.

But where was the problem? Lu Ye's first thought was the Talent Tree. Previously, when he was in the mines, he had a vague feeling that the Talent Tree carried more than just spirit runes. Now it seemed his pure spirit force must also be related to the Talent Tree; otherwise, there was no explanation for his current situation.

This was not a matter he could openly discuss with the sect master. After pondering, Lu Ye said, "Sect master, if pill poison accumulates too much and spirit force becomes turbid and unclear, how should one resolve it?"

"Naturally, one can only pause cultivation practice and slowly dissolve the pill poison, which takes a lot of time. Therefore, relying too much on elixir pills for cultivation not only fails to speed up one's practice but can have the opposite effect. However, you need not worry, appropriately using elixir pills to aid is not an issue.

The key is to control the extent by oneself," the sect master replied.

"Disciple understands," said Lu Ye.

"Hmm, your current cultivation is shallow, so it's not unreasonable to rely on elixir pills. However, since you have Spirit-Nurturing Pills, why not use them instead of relying on blood Qi pills for Essence Refinement-Qi Conversion?

You should know that although both types of elixir pills can aid in cultivation, the latter is more important for supplementing blood Qi energy, foundation fortification, and cultivation nourishment," the sect master said.

Lu Ye was suddenly taken aback, "Disciple does not recognize Spirit-Nurturing Pills..."

Earlier, he had habitually taken out a blood Qi pill to consume, merely thinking about quickly restoring Spiritual Energy and breaking through the spiritual orifice barrier, without giving it much thought.

Veteran Thang was surprised and chuckled, pushing a bottle towards him, "These inside are Spirit-Nurturing Pills. Although they are the lowest grade, their quality is not bad and are just right for your use."

Lu Ye poured out one from the bottle, examined the appearance of the Spirit-Nurturing Pill, and thought to himself that indeed, there were also Spirit-Nurturing Pills in Manager Yang's possession. He had seen this kind of elixir pill in Manager Yang's storage sack but had not dared to consume them casually.

Now with the guidance of the sect master, he had no concerns and swallowed the Spirit-Nurturing Pill in his hand, calmly beginning to refine it.

"After taking an elixir pill, one must guide the pill energy to prevent accumulation, which could leave lingering problems," the sect master's voice echoed in his ear.

This was also why he said the lowest-grade Spirit-Nurturing Pills were appropriate for Lu Ye—considering Lu Ye's current 1st orifice cultivation level, if he were to truly consume too high-quality elixir pills, the rich pill energy might be too much to guide in time. Once too much pill energy accumulated in the body, it would greatly impact his cultivation.

Lu Ye heard the sect master's words and acted accordingly.

A warm current slowly emerged in his lower abdomen, the pill energy from the Spirit-Nurturing Pill being released, converting into spirit force that a cultivator can use.

As Lu Ye guided it, the transformed spirit force was slowly channeled into his Root Spiritual Orifice.

The previously nearly drained Root Spiritual Orifice gradually became replenished.

The medicinal effect of the Spirit-Nurturing Pill was much better than the blood Qi pill dregs he had consumed before!

The Spirit-Nurturing Pill itself was more suitable for cultivation than the blood Qi pill, and what Lu Ye consumed previously were residues from the failed alchemy of Evil Moon Valley cultivators. Moreover, he had to go through a process of Essence Refinement-Qi Conversion to transform the power of his blood Qi into spirit force; obviously, there was no comparison.

Only at this moment did he truly appreciate the joy of cultivation through consumption of pills!

In less than half a day, the nearly drained Root Spiritual Orifice was refilled, and the pill energy from the Spirit-Nurturing Pill continued to exert its effect.

Lu Ye quickly began to guide the spirit force in the Root Spiritual Orifice, forcefully impacting the barrier of the 2nd Spiritual Orifice again and again.

Until a certain moment, he sensed something within him shatter, and the spirit force that had been hindered suddenly flowed freely.

The 2nd Spiritual Orifice, open!

From the Root Spiritual Orifice brimming with spirit force, it trickled into the 2nd Spiritual Orifice, and Lu Ye only felt a sense of comfort throughout his body and mind.

The effects of the Spirit-Nurturing Pill still lingered, and it was only after a long while, when he noticed that the effects of the pill had been completely consumed, that Lu Ye opened his eyes. He was about to share the good news with the sect master, only to find that the sect master was no longer there.

He had left without him noticing.

Lu Ye didn't mind, the sect master was the head of a sect and had his own matters to attend to. After all, the sect master had already helped him identify the locations of the next few spiritual orifices, so all he had to do was to follow the plan and cultivate diligently.

Lu Ye's goal was to open those spiritual orifices as quickly as possible, and, by following the route of the Cultivation Technique, to imbue these orifices with spirit force to reach the Spirit Stream Realm. Only then could he consider himself a true entry-level cultivator.

Eager to test his previous conjecture regarding the Talent Tree, Lu Ye did not rest and consumed another Spirit-Nurturing Pill.

The rich pill energy turned into spirit force, and under Lu Ye's guidance, it filled his spiritual orifices. Two days later, after consuming nearly six Spirit-Nurturing Pills, the 2nd orifice was full.

Lu Ye was stunned by this speed.

To think it had taken him over ten days to fill his 1st orifice after opening it, yet now, a similar progress only took two days—the difference was too great.

Indeed, the effects of the Spirit-Nurturing Pill were incomparable to those scraps, even if it was the lowest quality of Spirit-Nurturing Pills.

He thought of Yu Xiaodie again.

Yu Xiaodie had told him that it took her more than twenty days to fill her 1st orifice after opening it, and she had also consumed Spirit-Nurturing Pills, provided by a cultivator from Evil Moon Valley.

Comparing the two, the speed of Lu Ye's cultivation was clearly abnormal.

He could be sure that this had a great deal to do with the Talent Tree, but as for the specifics of this connection, he was clueless at the moment.

No matter what, this was a good thing for him. Perhaps, once his cultivation became stronger, he would be able to slowly unearth the secrets of the Talent Tree.

The sect master was still absent, and although Lu Ye had been cultivating for two days, he didn't feel tired at all, only terribly hungry.

Ever since he had successfully opened his orifices, his appetite had increased significantly. He had noticed this while in the mine, but at his current age, having a good appetite was a positive sign—for the more he ate, the more vigorous his blood Qi energy would be.

It was not feasible to go out searching for food, but fortunately, Zhou Cheng's storage sack still contained some edibles. Lu Ye wasn't picky and started eating and drinking with water.

Having eaten his fill, Lu Ye continued cultivating.

Half a day later, the barrier of the 3rd orifice broke apart.

Two more days passed, and the 3rd orifice was filled.

Again, it took six Spirit-Nurturing Pills.

He wanted to continue cultivating, but as soon as he relaxed, weariness overcame him. Knowing that he had been cultivating for too long, he had no choice but to rest for now.

He took out bedding from his storage sack, Lu Ye fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, quickly drifting into slumber.